Heaven's Wake
by Beta Genius
Summary: Auntie, can heaven see us' 'Sure they can, sweetie.' 'Can they tell us things' 'If they want us to know. Why' She thought for a moment, then stared back. 'Then why don't they tell people that Vash didn't do it' last chp. up! please R&R!
1. New Town, New Faces

A/N Don't own Trigun. To explain this better, it's basically in between where Vash shot the moon, and the Rem Saverem episode. To tell you the truth...I didn't see those episode...^_^' Sorry if this is strange to you and if somewhere there he explained Rem, but I just thought this would be a good story to tell how he recollected Rem before his one battle with Knifes. IT WAS JUST SO SAD! How could something NOT happen to him to remember that much? Anyway, this is my first Trigun fic so please be nice. If, (for some reason), you just really can't stand it, there is that handy-dandy back button! BTW, this is gonna kinda sorta be short, but hopefully good. Okay, well, please review!

Heaven's Wake

Cold. Isolated. Dead.

Just your average desert town, right? Well, to him it was, but somehow it seemed...different. Sure it had your stone carved buildings, and hey, it a huge crater to the side of the town! (Of course, he scratched his head when he saw it, wondering what was with all the metal shrapnel everywhere). Good thing Meryl and Milly weren't there, or else they'd just be distressing on about what was the deal! He smiled at the thought, seeing it was the only thing of cheeriness around here. He wasn't doing so well, considering he'd been walking for days and hadn't eaten for many more. Maybe these townsfolk would be nice and open up at least one place to eat, (maybe a donut shop)! But as he thought about it and walked the empty streets, it became more and more unlikely.

The winds rolled in and just added to the sand in his hair, making him long even more for just a trough to stick his head in. He searched the area for any signs of life and didn't find any. The doors to a local bar squeaked in the breeze, the shutters to a few buildings slamming on the outside stone walls. One in particular caught his attention, though, where a lock of shiny black hair glistened in the bright sunlight, falling from the window. Laughing, he realized that this town probably wasn't abandoned as he first thought, and tried to get noticed from whoever it was up there.

"Hey, hello up there!" he smiled, waving a hand. He stopped, however, and his smile faded, hearing a shotgun being armed. Turning, what now confronted him from the deserted town before was a mob of scared yet angry people. Holding up both hands, he faced them, a serious expression now on his face.

"G-go away! Haven't y-you done enough?!" an older man with the shotgun said, an elderly woman clinging to his arm.

He looked in the corner of his eye and found that the curls of hair were gone, quickly gazing back. "May I ask what I've done?" he inquired, but knew for sure he'd never seen this town before.

"We've spent enough time burying our dead! Go back to wherever it is you came from!" someone shouted in the background, a large uproar following to turn that fear into rage.

But a small, unnoticeable voice came from it, a woman's cry silencing them.

"Kailah, no! Stop!" the woman shrieked as a little girl pressed forward, running out before anyone could catch her.

She couldn't have been anymore than eight, yet it surprised him to see the shape she was in, especially with such caring looking people. Her left arm was scarred from the end of her collarbone to the fingernail of her middle finger. On her left arm, she already had scars from something previous, but was now bleeding from open flesh wounds, appearing to be cut with a razor sharp knife. She came up to him with such a confused expression in her eyes, as if to pierce with her solid light blue eyes into his very soul. He smiled, and her face hardened, flipping around and holding both her arms out as if to protect him.

"No, Kailah, get away from him! He's dangerous!" the man exclaimed, lowering the weapon.

"But grandpa, he'd not bad! He's not him!" she protested. The little girl glanced looked over her shoulder, smiling. "You're Vash, right?"

He stared for a moment, baffled just by the fact that this young girl _knew_ who he was and _wasn't_ running for her life. (Boy, that was a shocker...) Nevertheless, he smiled back, taking a hand down and putting it on her head. "Yes I am. I take it you're Kairah?"

She nodded, twisting around taking his hand. Placing her other hand up to her mouth, she began to shout to someone apparently in the back.

"_Aunt Vera! Can I bring a friend to dinner?!_" she yelled, even though the place was dead silence that if a pin dropped you probably could hear it. She didn't even get an answer before she stared up at him. "Say, do you want to come to dinner with us?"

Vash gawked at the people as they did back to him, seeing them dumbfounded at the situation. He shrugged, not really knowing how to answer. Not wanting to intrude, he'd say no, but as his stomach growled he couldn't quite make up his mind.

"Well, I don't-" he tried to say, but was stopped when Kailah pulled him along, the villagers making way as terror flooded back into them.

For the little girl, however, she seemed ecstatic to have him around, showing him into the dining room and pulling out a chair for him. Waving a hand she said she'd be right back, rushing up the stairs to the side. He sat there in silence, feeling awkward when he noticed people staring at him from the window. The elderly woman walked in with a younger one to her side to the kitchen, the man from before following but going and closing the shutters to the outside. He sat in the chair across from him, putting the gun to his side.

"So, you're Vash the Stampede, are ya?" he questioned, and Vash nodded in responds. "You know, I've heard a lot of stories about you; how you bring trouble wherever you go."

"Yeah, that seems to be the case," he answered honestly.

The man looked up from where he had stared at his folded hand on the table, his eyes narrow as he spoke. "You don't seem like the guy who they described, though. I mean, you don't look like you'd blow up a city and have a sixty billion double dollar reward on your head!" He laughed all of the sudden, Vash lowering his head, but gazed up when the man stopped, a tiny hand squeezing his shoulder.

"Grandpa..."the little girl began, shaking her head. He paused for a moment, then nodding his head, shrugging as she took a seat next to Vash.

After another moment of silence and the younger woman coming in to take a seat, Vash smiled, trying to get a conversation started.

"So...you guy's a really generous for letting me into your home like this. Most people would run me out of town!" he laughed, but was interrupted when the woman spoke.

"Don't get us wrong, Mr. Vash, we're terrified of you. Any normal person would be."

His face was puzzled, raising one of his blonde eyebrows. "Then why don't you run me out of town?"

"Because you're not him!" Kailah spoke up. "I keep telling them that but they won't believe me!"

"Kailah, remember your temper," the woman said calmly.

"Tell them you're not him!" she shouted, slamming her fists on the table.

They gazed at her with surprise, Vash not quite sure what she was getting at. The elderly woman walked in with a steaming pot of stew and five bowls, the younger woman standing to help her dish it out. After everyone had a meal, including Vash, the younger woman went to Kailah, putting her hands on her shoulders.

"You see, Mr. Vash, you probably owe your very meal to this little girl here. If it weren't for her, we would've made you _sprint_ out of town."

He smiled softly. "What did I do to deserve her trust, which I am very thankful for!"

"We don't know, for her mind is a mystery to us," the elderly woman said, taking a seat.

"Our little Kailah's...special..."

"Special? How come?" he asked.

No one bothered to speak, for his question was equal to their own. But Kailah, grinned, painted out with her metal spoon as she continued.

"Let's introduce everyone, 'kay? That's my grandma Murielle, my grandpa Vargus, and my Aunt Vera!" She leaned over into his ear to whisper, "They're actually nice once you get to know them."

"I'm sure they are," he whispered with a smirk.

"Kailah, it's not polite to whisper," Murielle said, and Kailah turned back to her precious meal, beginning to eat.

Vash looked at his meal, seeing that al it was composed of was a few carrots, water, and he could've sworn he saw a pea in there somewhere. As far as he could tell, these people didn't have much, yet were willing to spare some for him. Sure they were scared of him, but that didn't mean they wouldn't put up a fight, right? Something really bad must've happened here or...something to make them act the way they did.

After the quiet dinner was done, they kindly suggested he take a bath, seeing his hair and clothes were in shambles. They said there would be extra things to wear in the bathroom, so long as he left his original clothes out to be washed. The good thing was these people had running water, but surprised him just as much that they could have it and yet barely have enough for food.

In a few minutes he reentered the halls, the evening sun shining through the cracks of the wooden floors. He searched throughout the place to find that all but one door was locked, assuming that's where he could stay. Though he didn't ask about it, he figured that they probably wouldn't mind much. Besides, he was too beat to think about it. All he did was walk in, see that there was only a single bed with no blankets or pillows and just flopped down. It felt good to be in clean clothes, even if it wasn't his old stuff but just a baggy white shirt and brown pants. He remembered the past with the scars he saw on his arms as he lay there, although he tried not to recall much. His eyes sagged in sleepiness, the last thing he could think of was that he perhaps he should've asked before he dozed off into unconsciousness...

__

'There, see, all done!...You remind me...of someone I once knew...'

Vash's eyes opened with a beam of light reflecting off the walls into his room. Somehow, in some unreal way, he thought he should sit up instead of just falling back to sleep, putting a hand on his forehead. Standing up, he was willing to find where that light was coming from, hopefully able to convince the person to turn it off. But from the groggy state he was in, his eyes suddenly widened, hearing a person humming a song he somehow recognized. Standing in the doorway, he witnessed the black haired little Kailah sitting on the floor, wearing a set of pajama's that were too big for her, and playing with something he couldn't see because her back was turned. Unexpectedly she twisted around, smiling at him with her big, childish eyes.

"Oh, hi Vash! Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"What...What time is it?" he asked, holding his head again from the pain the light the large, lamp candles gave off. 

"Four," she replied, turning away from him again.

"In the morning?!" he questioned, blinking as he came over to her. She stood up, walking away but still with her back turned.

"Yeah! I haven't slept a wink in days so don't be too concerned!" she said happily.

"In...days...?" he replied. Smiling, he took a seat in the chair next to the door. "But a growing girl like yourself should get your sleep!"

She smiled, seeming different from the times before. This seemed colder...as if she was much older than she appeared with more scars than what was just on her arms. Kailah clasped something in her hand, a braided twine string hanging from her fist. Walking over to him, she took his hand that was at his side, putting whatever it was in his palm.

A cold chill ran up his spine, his heart freezing just as well. This is what she had been fiddling with before, but he never imagined it would still exist. Gazing up at her, her smile was no more, and all that was left was those eyes, distant and yet demanding a truth.

"You know what this is...don't you?" she asked, but he only held the small, rusted cross in his hands, not even knowing what to think as those bright candle lamps flickered on into the silence...


	2. Friendship

Friendship

She kneeled before him, taking his hands and making them clasp the cross in a tight grip. The necklace had rusted over, but the meaning was still there. He could remember how she had worn it all the time, a necklace that at least looked similar to this. (But she wouldn't understand something like that, even if she asked why he had such a confused expression on his face). Taking his eyes off it, though, that smile of hers returned, standing up again. His eyes followed her as she made her way across the room, sitting on the end of the bed and kicking her feet.

"Well?" she said. "Do you know what it is?"

He nodded, "Of course I do." Looking back at it, he narrowed his eyes. "Don't you?"

"Yes...But in more ways than you realize."

His puzzled face became one of question, raising an eyebrow. "Than...I realize?"

She smiled, shrugging. "Yeah. But it's to..." Tilting her head, her eyes widened in a sudden attempt to stare into the lamp. "No avail."

_To no **avail**? _he thought._ How old is this girl anyway? She looks eight, but..._

As if on queue, she stared back at him, her eyes beaming of a childish gaze. "You know who told me to make it?"

"You made it?" he asked.

"Of course I did! Grandpa Vargus and Grandma Murielle are too old to weld, and Aunt Vera will only do it for work. That's why it's so rusted...I could only find junk parts big enough."

Getting back to her question, he said, "Did one of them tell you how to make it?"

Surprisingly, she shook her head, grinning a very large, open grin. "Nope!"

"Then...one of your neighbors?"

"Nuh-uh!" She put her index figure on her cheek, getting up again. "You should get your sleep. I'm sure you've had a long journey."

Vash was about to ask her something more, but she suddenly pointed out to the door, a dark, serious expression on her face that he did not want to mess with. So, slinking out, he shut the door behind him, putting his back against the wall and unclenching his fist. He stared at the small necklace within, wondering if she wanted it back. Then again, as he yawned and realized there wasn't any light in the halls, he just decided that she would get it in the morning, seeing on how he wasn't going anywhere until then. Besides, if he did leave before she woke up, he'd just leave it on the dinner table or by her door or something. 

As he made his way back to his room, something struck him. It wasn't that cold, untimely feeling he got before when he first stared at it before, but a warm, kind feeling. Maybe it was just this dumb heat wave surging through the desert...or it was because he somehow remembered her. Just by this little necklace, he remembered so much. He remembered her soft smile, those calming days in the recreation room. Everything else seemed like a blur to him then, but at that moment it really didn't matter. All he could think about was her. And hopefully he could find peace in that, even if it was just for a little while...

The next morning, he awake to the rising sun...

Not to mention a grown little girl jumping at the foot of his bed. He wanted to sleep in, squeezing his eyes shut in the inevitable attempt to not greet the breaking dawn. But she hopped down, running over to him and knuckling him on the forehead. He dazedly sat up, his eyes finally opening to the blinding light which was the day.

"Wake up sleepy head! It's breakfast time!" she proclaimed, all the while skipping around like she had been up for hours.

"Uh...What time is it now?" he asked, gazing up as she unexpectedly opened the shutters, blinding him even more, (if that were really possible...not to mention he fell out of bed because of it).

Going over from where he hit his noggin on the wooden floor, she saw him sit back up, rubbing his head. "Hey, we're having a special breakfast today, but you got to get up early and enjoy it while it's hot!"

"Oh, alright..." he grumbled, standing up. Although, before he followed her to the hallway, he remembered the cross he had put on the table, yet when he reached for it, it was no where to be found. He searched everywhere for it; on the table, in the drawer, under the bed, under the mattress, but somehow in that short period of sleep he had managed to loose it. (_How could he loose it?!_) Kailah scratched her read, soon getting the picture and reaching into her pocket.

"Is this what you're looking for?" she inquired, and he spun around, seeing it lying in the palm of her hand. She shrugged, tossing it to him. "If you miss it that much than here, take it. I can always make another one." In this, she put her hands behind her head, humming a tune and setting off to the breakfast table. Again, that tune was familiar but he still couldn't quite place where it was from...

He put the stringed necklace around his neck, taking his precious time to go forward into the rest of the house. Sticking his head out into the hall, he saw it was deserted, but a lingering smell drifted through the air. Ah, yes, he knew what this was but couldn't put a name on it until he got close enough to realize it. Could it be?! _Really_?! The only thing that could possibly smell so delicious that he jolted down the stairs and into the dinner room was none other than...

"DONUTS!" he shouted with joy, flailing his head back and forth to examine the piled high, table full of donuts, (not to mention of all sorts!) Without another word he sat in a chair in the blink of an eye, swallowing as many as he could in one mouthful at a time.

Kailah just smiled sweetly, watching him eat on just before they heard a gasp from behind. Vash stopped for a moment, staring over his shoulder and seeing all three of the grownups, standing there with a bizarre appearance on their faces. Smiling, he waved a hand, but they gave no such kindness in return.

"Oh," he said, swallowing the half-chewed donuts remaining in his mouth. "Good morning! I hope you all slept well!"

"Kailah, where did you get all this food?" Vera asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"The baker taught me a few days ago. I knew Vash was coming so I thought I'd make a nice breakfast for him!"

They all stared, Vash included, wondering with their very whims on how she could've known such information. She just smirked, saying it was 'Just a hunch'. Her Grandma Murielle shook her head, not really in the fact that she said that, but how unhealthy it was to eat donuts at such an early hour!

"Kailah, can I speak to you for a moment?" Vera said, and Kailah got up from her chair, walking out with her.

Grandpa Vargus and Grandma Murielle took their seats at the table, Vargus having a hard time seeing him from the other side until Vash ate just enough donuts that he didn't have to strain his neck.

"Boy oh boy, you sure got'n appetite there, young fella," he exclaimed, shaking his head.

"You bet! And donuts are the best foods in the entire world!" he beamed, stuffing his face even more.

"You know, back in my day we didn't have donuts! All we had were some dried ol' cans of beans, which we had to walk fifteen miles, in the blazing sun, up _hill_ to get!"

"Oh, stop it, you old coot! You're going to bore the poor child to death!" Murielle smiled, laughing as he husband gave her a look. "You know, you're much nicer than the last time you came here. To tell you the truth, I like this you better."

He looked over, blinking. "The time I came before? No, you must be mistaken for someone else! I've never been to this town before!"

"Than how come your face is exactly the same? Your eyes, and that blonde hair of yours! Nobody on this world would appear even close to you!"

Vash's eyes narrowed, thinking for a moment longer. Could it have been him? But why, why would he have come to such an isolated town like this? Why? And, most important of all, what had he done to these poor people? Vash was for sure he had never been to this town before, but who else could look like him except...

"Hey, fella, are you okay?" Vargus asked, seeing his overly long pause. Vash grinned, holding up his pointer and his middle fingers to make a 'V', signifying he was okay. Shrugging it off, he continued. "Are you intendin' ta finish all these?"

Vash nodded his responds, seeing how his mouth was too full anyway to speak.

Murielle stood up, walking to the door. "Well, Mr. Vash, your clothes won't wash themselves. I have laundry duty to attend to so if you'll please excuse me."

"If there's anything I can do to help-" he began, but was interrupted by the sound of Vargus's voice.

"Don't bother, you're better off stayin' inside anyway. The neighbors are suspicious if you're the really thing or not. Maybe you can keep Aengel company er somethin'."

"Angel?" he asked.

"Yeah, Kailah, our lil' Aengel. All of us have ta work, includin' Vera, and she's usually all by herself here. Maybe you can help her make some wooden toys er somethin'."

"Maybe even on one of her welding projects, you think?"

Vargus laughed, standing up. "Even if we're not here, Kailah wouldn't go near a welder! After what happened to her I should hope not. Anyway, I'm off."

"Wait, what-" he tried to ask, but he was already gone out the door before he could reach him. Instead stood Vera, her arms crossed and her faded blue dress blowing in the sandy wind that came through the door. She had such a look on her face that even scared him, shrinking lower and lower into his chair.

"You stay away from Kailah. You're too much of a bad influence!" she shouted, shaking her head. "I'll be back in a few hours to see how everything's going. And remember, you're only here because my parents are very generous people!" With this, she slammed the door behind her, making the wooden board on the outside that said 'welcome' clatter as he heard it reach the ground.

He gulped, feeling his hunger going away after that encounter, not really sure if the woman had poisoned his food or not. Her voice shriek with so much distain that not even Vash had seen before. But the aroma of the donuts still lingered on, drifting, floating in the air...It...smelled...too...GOOD!

In this his face was stuffed again, and not until the last donut was eaten did he finally push his chair back from the table. He sighed in knowing he had a full stomach, something he hadn't had in weeks. But he stared behind him again, though, when he heard small feet descending the stairs, seeing Kailah sit on the last few steps.

"Aunt Vera says I shouldn't talk to you anymore..." she said with a sigh, her elbows on her knees and her hands holding the sides of her head.

Vash stood up, walking over and sitting next to her on the step. She stared down at her feet, a big frown on her face. Thinking of something that might cheer her up, Vash got an idea, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his shades.

"Here, put these on!" he stated, handing them to her.

"Why?" she asked.

"So you can see the world in a different color!" he proclaimed gleefully.

"And why would I want to do that?" she questioned, and he made a sound in his throat suggesting that he didn't quite know himself. But she put them on anyway, oversized and drooping on her little nose. Of course, she enjoyed it nevertheless, clapping her hands and gawking at everything she could from her step.

Vash jumped up from where he sat. "Well, if I can't talk to you, then maybe we can to this." He held up five fingers, Kailah laughing with delight.

"Oh, oh, I _love_ this game!" she exclaimed, continuing on. "Okay, five words..."

First, he made his fingers in the shape of a rectangle. Not quite getting it, he traced an oval to go along with it. Finally, after a few moments of thought, she finally got the word 'can'. He pointed at her, and it didn't take long for her to realize it was _her_ he was getting at. With a few other gestures, such as tying a piece of his boot's string to make a bow to get at making something, and putting one chair in one corner and the rest in another to say more, he found one scrap of a donut to show to her, finally putting the puzzle together.

"Can I make more donuts?" she finally spelled out, and she smiled half-heartedly. "I would if I could, but I don't have any ingredients left..." She snapped her fingers just then, springing upon her feet. "I know! I'll run out, get some ingredients and we can make donuts and dinner for everyone!"

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Vash agreed, nodding his head. "Maybe they'll be in a better mood then!"

"Uh-huh!" she replied, rushing over to the door. With her hand on the door handle but not opening it yet, she turned back. "You should stay here. I don't think the townspeople understand you just yet. I hope you don't mind..."

"No, go ahead! Actually I kind of like it in here! Nice and cozy, you know?"

She nodded, opening the door and walking on out. The door shut by itself on the slight slant this house was on, but you couldn't notice until to paid attention to such things. For a long while he sat on the steps, his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. All was peaceful, the nice breeze and sun streaking through the window shutters in the kitchen. And then...something changed. Usually you could hear people talking from outside, but for some reason everything had gone still. The wind had ceased; the dust didn't stir in the sunlight. For a long while all was silence, though only until he sat up. When he had, the wood above him began to creak, sand coming down through the cracks and beginning to crust over on his head.

That, however, didn't bother him. What did bother him was that it sounded like someone was upstairs, yet there was no one in the house...Willing to investigate, he quietly trudged up the stairs, cautious all the while. As he stared over his shoulder and into the hall, finding nothing but the invisible force of the wind. Yet, the creaking still persisted and he walked on down, inspecting every room but not finding anything. That is, until he came to his room, where he heard not only the creaking noise, but actual footsteps as well. But it stopped as the breeze stopped, Vash shaking his head.

_It's all my imagination_, he thought, _I'm just hearing things!_

But as he turned to head back downstairs, he heard a soft laugh, facing back and finally standing in the doorway. There was nothing, though, and he stood upright from where he slouched in minor fear. Shutting his eyes, he sighed deep, thanking that there really hadn't been anything there--

"_Hey Vash_!" Kailah shouted, and Vash could've sworn his heart skipped a beat, his face turning ghastly white as he yelled in terror, not distinguishing her voice at first. She blinked, confused on what was going on, but smiled anyway. "The stuff's already downstairs. C'mon, you can help me make it!"

She skipped on to the kitchen, Vash stumbling to get over his shock. He eventually found his way into the kitchen where Kailah had already gotten herself on a chair and was putting her apron on. It was a khaki brown as had a few stains here and there, but he would've rather worn that instead of the one she gave him.

"Here, this is a messy job so put that on!" she proclaimed, beginning to get out the groceries.

It had holes, the bottom was tattered and the patching was falling apart in the left corner. That, however, wasn't exactly the problem. What he couldn't understand is why she would want the one she had instead of this one. For, instead of brown, it was a faded pink. He didn't have a problem with it, but he thought all little girls liked pink and she was just trying to be very nice.

"Wouldn't you want this one? It's _pink_," he said in a questioning way, Kailah not taking her eyes off the dough in the bowl she was mixing up.

"I don't like pink. Never have, really. Besides the fact that my family's dirt poor, why do you think I'm just wearing some brown slacks and a white shirt?"

Vash's smile faded, his eyes softening. He knew dye wasn't cheap, but that wasn't at all what he was trying to get at. "No, I didn't mean it like that..."

She finally gazed up, shrugging. "I know. My family's had that for decades so don't concern yourself. Now are you going to help me or not?"

With no further discussion on that subject, Vash put on the faded apron and began to cook with her. Sure they had their ups and downs, (more downs than ups, especially with the fact that Vash didn't quite know how to cook in the first place...) But all the while had fun, including when they had a dough fight. What else are you going to do with all that waiting time and extra donut dough that wouldn't fit in the oven to make a giant donut than make forts out of chairs and try to hit each other with it? Eventually they made the stew for her family's dinner with the vegetables she could squander from the people around town, all just before Vera came home.

She gasped in horror at the shape her kitchen was in, almost dropping her work tools. Kailah heard her first, turning around and waving.

"Hi Aunt Vera!" she said with happiness, Vash twisting back as well, pink apron and all.

"Oh, hello there! We were just making stew!" he stated with a grin. 

"And donuts for desert!" she filled in.

Vera's eye twitched, not really sure if she should laugh or be horrified that this man, who wore an apron and was cooking was actually the legendary Vash the Stampede. It was just too mind boggling for her to contemplate at the time. Rolling her eyes, she held her head, feeling a huge headache coming on.

"Kailah, where did you get the money for all this?" she asked.

"I bought it with the spare pieces of scrap metal around town! The cleaners were so happy I had done something to help the community."

"_Whatever_..." she said under her breath. "Look, I'm going upstairs to take a bath. Just stay out of trouble." Vera pointed at Vash with that same harsh expression again. "And _you_, Mr. Vash, can clean up this mess or you can say bye-bye to your sleep in this household!"

Vash frowned to that remark as she made her way out of there, Kailah giggling at it.

"Don't worry, I'll help you clean," she said stepping off the chair.

Before long the place was spotless, the chairs put upright and all that extra dough dissolved at the bottom of a bucket. Her grandparents got back and helped dish out the stew they had made. Vera came back down and joined them, though was reluctant to say anything for some reason. They were much more open than before, complaining with comedy on how their day went in the mines and the sewing shop. Everything was happy, something he hadn't seen in a long while yet enjoyed being around it. After dinner was done, he went back up to his room to stretch out and think for awhile. He was feeling a bit tired anyway, the lights dimming and the sun going beyond the horizon, and probably would've gone to sleep...

If only it hadn't been that creaking sound.

It made the hairs on the back of his neck stick up, a cold chill filling his blood. He'd never felt like this before, yet somehow it scared him to think that a creak, (a CREAK!) could frighten him so. Why? He didn't know, but after awhile he reached into the drawer where he had placed his gun, just as a precaution. They had all been in bed for awhile then, and he didn't know if any of them would be up. Usually he wouldn't be so jumpy, but in this place, where he wasn't quite sure about much, he wouldn't take any chances. He disarmed it, of course, because he didn't feel that bad about the situation, standing up and edging his way to the door. The creaking got louder to his left and so did his heart beat, hearing breathing...that wasn't his. A warm brush came across his cheek, making him jump and rush to face that way. As like last time, there was no one and nothing to be seen. However, coming from behind he heard voices, swiftly stepping over and putting his back against the wall, listening in as he heard his name.

"Auntie Vera, can heaven see us?" he heard Kailah ask.

"Of course they can, sweetie. Now hold still, this head of hair you have isn't easy to detangle," Vera answered

"Can they tell us things?" she questioned.

"When they want us to know. Why?"

Kailah paused for a moment, then said, "Then why don't they tell them Vash didn't do it?"

Vash's eyes widened, surprised by what she had let out of her mouth. Everyone believed he was the sixty billion double dollar man, that he had destroyed those cities. Yet...this little girl was probably the only one in the world who didn't believe in that. He heard an angry sigh, however, Vera raising her voice.

"Look, Vash is not who you think he is. He's _killed_ people, Kailah, do you understand? He's a mur-der-er. Do you remember the stories of July and Augusta? _Do_ _you_? He destroyed those cities, Kailah, no matter how nice he seems now!" He heard sniffling coming from the room, Vera going on in a choked up voice. "He killed Uncle Joe, Kailah. H-he...killed...u-uncle Joe..."

"But Auntie...It wasn't him," Kailah tried to be comforting, her voice becoming sorrowful. "She told me it wasn't him. You know she doesn't lie..."

"Shut _up_! Just shut up!" she screamed. "I've had enough of this _she_! For the past ten years you always say when something bad happens '_she_ said this' or '_she_ said that' or 'I tried to warn you because that's what _she_ said'!"

"But...Auntie...You know he's in a better place..."

"Yes..." She paused again, her tone more harsh than before. "It's that thing again isn't it? Isn't it?! It's those damn plant affects that's sending those voices! I knew this couldn't be your sane self!"

"So you don't believe me...?"

"I believe _you_, Kailah, but that thing that lingers with you...I can never be sure of...I'm sorry I yelled." He heard a kiss on the forehead, Vera walking to the door. "Try and get some sleep, angel."

In this, she turned the handle and stepped out, holding a lamp in hand. She noticed something by her feet and saw Vash sitting there, though saying nothing to him. He was too deep in thought to speak, and she was not willing to wake him from his pondering self. In it, she strolled on in the other direction, entering her room.

He had sustained worse insults before, but it still cut him deep. Especially when the one person who didn't think he was killer was shot down, and by her own _family_. What had he done? What had _he_ _done_?

Vash stood up, however, knocking on the door before he entered her room. Tears streaked down her face in the lamplight, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she tried to wipe them away. He sat down next to her, keeping his head to the floor.

"If it means anything...I appreciate what you said," he said.

"Of course you do. Everyone thinks you did it, and yet you know as well as I that you didn't do any of those things. You wouldn't kill anyone..." she replied, but still her eyes remained wet.

"I don't mean to be rude, but...what did your aunt mean by plant affects?"

"She told me you hadn't killed anyone..." she whispered, shaking her head and ignoring his question.

"She who?" he asked, but got no answer.

Instead, he heard a plop coming from the window, turning his head slightly in noticing it. Nothing more came for a few more seconds, and then...there it was again. He stood up, going to the shutters and hearing even more unusual sounds hitting it. Finally he opened them, sticking out it hand. His eyes suddenly enlarged with the knowing that it was the impossible on this dry, desert planet. Though there it was, water falling from the sky.

It was rain...

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A/N YAY! Finally finished with the second chapter! It was kinda long, but hey, hopefully it was good! AND DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE MUSIC BESIDES KAZAA?! If anyone knows please just set a review for that. Thanks, and please review! ^___^


	3. Blame

Blame

He didn't know what to say. Vash had never seen rain on this planet before, and had only seen it once on the spaceship he arrived on. Gazing back to Kailah, he saw that she was crying uncontrollably now, her face in her hands. Going over and kneeling down in front of her, he tried staring up into her eyes, but she refused to look at him.

"Kailah, it's raining! It's amazing, you should come and see it!" he attempted to comfort her, but failed miserably.

"Of course it's raining...It always rains..." she sobbed, shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "It never rains!"

"It does here," she replied, twisting herself away.

He said no more from there, confused even more on what was going on. There was just something seriously wrong with this town, plain and simple. This desert planet had always been a clear blue sky, and only a few times ever having clouds! And now...it _rained_? No, something wasn't right, and his suspicion was doubled when he heard thunder rolling through the sky outside.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, Vash turning his head to find it was the grandpa, holding a lamp. Vash hadn't even heard the door open, but with the circumstances he could understand why. He handed him a rain poncho, he himself wearing one as he stood upright again.

"There's somethin' ya deserve to know, Vash the Stampede. Follow me," he stated, going back to the open door.

Standing, Vash did what he was asked and followed, stepping down the staircase with caution and out into the rainy streets. Vargus didn't say anything for the longest time, the rain pouring so hard that if he held out his hand it would feel like needles. He moved faster than Vash could keep up a few times, but stopped ever so often to let him catch up. However, one time in particular he hadn't stopped, and he found himself stumbling in the dark. The walls of buildings to guild him dwindled quickly, and eventually he landed his foot in a soft patch of dirt, tumbling down what seemed to be a hill. Though, coming into the town before he didn't remember a hill being there...

Smacking his face down into the mud, he sat up with a groan, looking up to find a light beaming up from where he had fallen. It seemed like Vargus was thirty feet up, yelling down if Vash was okay. He shouted back that he was, and Vargus made his way down more carefully than Vash's way, meeting up with him at the bottom.

"It should be just up here," he pointed out, walking on forward until a large, black object came into view. It appeared to be a beam of some sort, but as he brightened the lamp with a small switch, a bigger picture came into play.

The metal of this structure was twisted and bent, looking as if it had been torn like tissue. A minor part of sheet metal was attached just above their heads where they could get out of the rain. Vargus brightened the lamp even more, putting the lamp of the ground and finding a crate that should have been used to collect metal as a seat. Vash sat as well, questioning what this place was.

"You've heard of plants, right?" he asked, and he shrugged. "'Course you have. Well, ta tell ya the truth, no matter how small this here town seems now, it used to be a very large one. In fact, we used to have a plant of our own!"

"What happened to it then?" he inquired.

"You just happened to be sitting in it," he replied, and Vash's eyes narrowed with interest. "I know what yer thinkin'. 'How exactly can a plant turn out like this', am I right?"

Actually, that wasn't exactly it. He just wanted to know why it was raining but if this had something to do it than yes, that's what he was thinking. Vash stared out, seeing that the rain was beginning to loosen up. (At least when he stuck his hand out it felt like water and not needles).

"Maybe not...Either way I might as well start from the beginnin'. A long time ago this place used ta be prosperous. There were hundreds of thousands of people livin' here, most makin' sure that the plant worked right. Her parents were apart of that team of scientist, my son and his wife, and nothin' had gone wrong under their watch. But about ten years ago somethin' did...No one knew how or why the instruments to the plant went wrong, but what we do know is that more than a third of the city was gone in a blink of an eye. Most moved out of town after that, but about thirty or so of us stayed behind." He gazed to the ground, contemplating for a moment then continuing. "Do you know why we call her our lil' Aengel?"

"Kailah?" he asked, and Vargus nodded.

"We call her that cuz...she was with her parents when that thing exploded."

Vash's eyes widened, not quite believing what he had heard. If she had been inside the plant control room when it erupted, than she would've been ash with everything else. This just wasn't making any sense...

"You may be wondering why she looks the way she does, even if that happened ten years ago. See, when that thing detonated, she was eight _then_. And since then, she hasn't gotten any sleep...not in ten years..."

Vash stood up suddenly, shaking his head. "How can that be?! Everyone needs sleep! Everyone ages! Nobody can withstand an explosion, especially when it's a _plant_ exploding!"

"Sit down, son, I'll explain it," he said, waving a hand and Vash taking in a deep breath, sitting once more. "Now, we're not quite sure on the whole thing but what she's told us is that it had something to do with the plant, turning her into what she is. Not only doesn't she age or sleep, but she's beginnin' to hear things. Things we can't explain. One in particular she keeps bringing up is this 'she', who warns her when bad things are going to happen. And she hasn't been wrong once."

"Then why don't you believe her?" he asked, remembering the incident from before.

"I never said me and Murielle don't believe her, but Vera's the one who doesn't want to believe."

"Why? What happened to her?"

"That's why this town hates you so much. It's 'cuz what you did eight years ago. Now, strangely enough, I remember that fella and now that I think about it, he didn't seem a thing like you. He had so much hate in his eyes that I didn't know could exist in a man. Not to mention you get along so well with Kailah, yet that man was willing to kill her for no real reason..."

"What happened?" he repeated, more so dreading the truth than he had before.

"If I can recall good enough, that man came strollin' through town one day and didn't say a word to anybody, even if almost the whole town was out for work. We all thought he'd just pass by, but for some reason he stopped at our house where Joe was checking on Kailah, who was playing on the porch at the time."

"Joe...Vera mentioned that before," Vash exclaimed, Vargus nodding his head.

"Yeah, Joe was Vera's fiancé. They were such a happy couple too...But Kailah warned her that Joe shouldn't have gone outside that day and Vera didn't take her seriously. Though, that man just had the angriest expression on his face, shoutin' about somethin' to do with human's and how since Kailah was part plant she should suffer a quick death...At least, that's what the witnesses said...The man pulled out a large gray gun after that, ready and willin' to shoot her at that second if only Joe hadn't been there. 'Cuz of it, Joe stepped in the way and was shot in the back, dying a few minutes later. The man didn't give another shot after that, but we could all remember how he had blonde hair and green eyes..."

Vash clenched his fists, knowing exactly who it was. He didn't have to question if it was him or not, for with this story he knew it could only be one person.

_Knives..._

"Do you know who this _she_ is?" he questioned, trying to get his mind on something else.

"Nope, no idea. But I guess she was the one who told her where ta find that necklace yer wearin'."

He reached under the poncho, holding the cross out in his hand. "I thought she made it," he said.

"Again, she wouldn't go near a welder. That's just not what she does." Vargus stood up, picking up the lamp again. "Guess that's it. You comin' back to the house?"

"No, I think I'll stay here for awhile. Think things over," he replied, and Vargus shrugged.

"Okay, your choice," he said, being his last words before he stepped out into the rain.

Vash came across a question he himself couldn't come up with an answer for, swirling around to shout for him to come back. But he hadn't even opened his mouth before he realized Vargus was no longer there, not even the light of the lamp to be seen. Even that was odd in the drenching rain, for if the light had gone out he should've been able to at least see a moving figure in the shadow of the crater.

He really did sit there, thinking. And he thought. And thought. (And thought some more). Yet every time he came to a conclusion on something, it always backfired somehow and he would never truly come up with any answers unless he was told what they were. He hadn't the energy to go back up to the house, so instead he just stayed, reflecting on how this could all be. Taking off his poncho and putting it behind his head, he used it as a pillow when he shut his eyelids. Maybe there was no reason and maybe there was, but he passed out into sleep before he came up with it, his back against the crate underneath the twisted black metal.

__

'...Do you miss him?'

'Of course I do, but I know he's in a better place now.'

__

'I think it's great. Makes you look more intelligent!'

'What do I look like?'

'A momma's boy!'

The sun beamed high upon the now dry sands, Vash finding shade where he had slept in the hot conditions. Raising his head, he squinted in the light, blinking as he found a smudge of gray in his sight. There, to his surprise, Kailah stared blankly at him, her ragged, shoulder-length hair brushing across her face. He smiled kindly, but she just gave the dullest expression in return.

"Kailah, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"He told you, didn't he?" she questioned, Vash blinking.

"Tell me what? You mean what happened to you?"

She shook her head. "Not that. What I am..."

"What you are? Well, he sort of told me that...Though he didn't know him-"

"I was fussed with a plant," she interrupted, a silence floating in the air for a few moments later. "I was foolish to stumble away from by parents and ended up getting past the security systems. I astonishingly made it to the reactor chamber vents, where I crawled up on the beams, not knowing the true danger. Thinking it was some sort of balancing act I goofed off, and until I tripped over my own feet I thought it was a game...I should've died that day from the fall, but I landed on the plant instead. I can't remember what happened except for feeling a calming warmth, hugging me until I could open my eyes and stand in what would be this very spot. Having a few bruises and scrapes, I didn't realize what had been done until someone found me and carried me away. The plant was gone. My parents were gone. More than half the city was gone..." Her cold eyes turned sad, tears beginning to well. "Everyone believes you destroyed July and Augusta, but at least one person knows it wasn't your fault. You've never killed anything and I know that for a fact! She told me so...But, with all the things that have been said about you, surely you understand what it feels like to be guilty of something. I am guilty of all their deaths...I killed them..."

Kailah fell to her knees, clenching her fists into the ground. Vash did feel sorry for her, not entirely because of what happened to her, but always to whom she was now. Even though she might have been older mentally, her hearts was still one of an eight year old child. From people he had met, from the many stories he had heard, most would have drowned their past in drinks or sulked in their own misery. Never did a grown person cry, (even if it might have been better if they did), for at least they could keep in bottled inside and deal with it secretly. But for a child to bear such a burden, to believe that she had caused the deaths of hundreds upon thousands of people...

Vash reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. "Like you said, you didn't understand what would happen if you fell from that beam. For all we know, you could've just fallen into a safe area and the plant was already detonating. No one could've known the plant would react in such a way. It wasn't your fault Kailah. It never was, so stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do." As she nodded her head, he smiled, sitting back. But as he let his hand off her shoulder, she suddenly grabbed it, squeezing it tight in her tinny fingers.

"Do you know why I came down here?" she asked, and he shook his head, not really sure. "Because if you would've gone up the time you had awaken, you would already be dead by now..."

Vash's neck snapped up with the sound of a gunshot, Kailah letting go. He stood up in alarm, gazing up the steep hill and then back to her where she kept looking ahead. There was no worry on her face, (or any normal appearance in this situation for that matter), but that sound did concern him. With it, he left off up the hill, willing to investigate as she just sat there, unwavering as another strand of hair fell over her face...

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A/N Sorry this one's short and blotchy, but we were one of the people without power for a day (and my finger's broken so it makes it somewhat difficult to write ^_^) Anyway, there's probably two more chapters left, so please stay tuned!


	4. Leaving

Leaving

He rose over the hill, only to drop behind a few crates nearby. Five gunmen, wearing black and red bandana's over their faces, holding someone at gun point. Three others lay dead on the ground, blood soaking into the dry earth. For a long while they said nothing, Vash, assuming they had already asked the question, just stayed back and watched, wondering if this was a fight he should get into, (for if he did more lives, including the man they held captive, would probably be lost.)

"I'm only going to ask this once," the man with the pistol to the prisoners head exclaimed. "We know he'd here. Where is Vash the Stampede."

"We told you, w-we don't know! With all honesty! He was here just last night, but he must've left this morning!"

"Lair!" another shouted. "We heard the rumors from several other towns and they all say the same thing! He came in this direction and had to have passed through here!"

The man with the gun hesitated, thinking for a moment. But he armed it instead, the crowd gathered around gasping in horror.

"Tell me, do you want to loose another good man here today?" With no reply, he began to yell harshly. "Answer me!"

Again, all that was heard was the sound of the wind.

"Very well."

The man on his knees fell as that awful, awful sound of a gun was fired, some people looking away in the gruesome sight. A third party member reached out into the assembly, choosing a random person to throw at the mercy of the man's feet. A painful cry echoed out, Vash's eyes widening as he realized he knew this woman.

"Should we tally the number of dead to five?! I give you that many seconds to decide. One..."

Vash gritted his teeth, knowing that enough was enough.

"Two...Three..." He grabbed Vera and forced her to her feet, pointing the gun at her forehead. "_Four_..."

"Stop!" Vash shouted, stumbling to her feet and running a few feet forward before the man continued to aim it at her.

"Well, what do we have here?" he questioned to no one in particular.

"Uh, looks like some desert pest boss," the fourth stated, snickering to the dumb comment.

"So, do you know where Vash the Stampede is?"

"Yeah, I do," he answered. "You're looking at him."

There was a long pause until the five erupted with laughter, the one with the gun shaking his head. "Please, are we supposed to believe you're the legendary gunman? We're not as stupid as you think we are! But maybe y'all might have been telling the truth after all, being so desperate to send this pitiful sight for an excuse."

Little feet scurried by him without knowing, Kailah racing out to cling at Vera's side. With tears in her eyes, she tried pleading with the man, shaking her head. Even if Vera attempted to push her away to safety, she refused to let go.

"No, let her go! Please, mister, let my Auntie Vera go!" she sobbed, her tiny hands clenching onto her skirt.

"A kid, huh? You guy's are more pathetic than I thought," he said after awhile, unarming it and putting it at his side. "Kid's are where I draw the line. They should never have to see what we do."

Vera grabbed Kailah's hand and ran as fast as they could back into the crowd, the man continuing. "Alright, listen up. We'll give you a day to hand him over or we'll be back to check the place. If we find out that you're hiding him, be warned that they'll be a lot more people to bury. As for you," he said, facing Vash. "For your outburst and lie, we'll give you that day to get out of town. If you don't, everyone dies with you!"

He laughed with the four others, making their way out. Eventually the town made their way back into their houses, a few staying behind to clean up the people lying in the street. Vera cradled Kailah in her arms as they sat on the ground, struggling to comfort her in this troubled time. Vash knew, no matter how good this place had been to him, that it was finally time to leave, walking over to the house. He found Murielle and Vargus in the dinner room, sitting silently. Vash's clothes were already hanging on the chair, clean and wrinkle free. As he went to grab them, he quietly thanked Vargus for explaining everything to him yesterday, but that it was time for him to go.

Going to the doorway, Vargus agreed he should leave, but he didn't recall ever telling him anything. As Vash explained what he had heard last night, Murielle and Vargus stared at each other, not quite sure what he meant. For, in fact, Vargus had never left the house, neither did anyone else except Vash. He wondered how that could be so, but knew it wasn't the time to ask questions. Instead, he just trudged out, up to his room to change. He grabbed all that he had brought with him and went back downstairs, finding that Vera was now inside. He said his goodbyes, though no one bothered to reply. Vash understood why, however, and really wasn't expecting anything in return.

Putting on his orange sunglasses in the bright sunlight, he stepped out into the desert sands of the world, figuring that he could just leave without anything more. But, life is not so simple, and there is always something in the road. That expression was more literal than he had first thought, for in the direction he wanted to go stood Kailah, her hands behind her back and humming that same tune. He stood there, staring on in thought and in sorrow for a few moments, knowing he had to face her poor childish heart, fearing only the worse that he would break it in one way or another.

As he approached, that humming song becoming intertwined with words, making him stop in his tracks. His knees grew weak hearing it, realizing why he didn't recognize it before. It had been out of tune, but the words now gave it meaning.

"_So, on the first evening a pebble _

From somewhere out of nowhere 

Drops upon the dreaming world..."

This 'she' that everyone had spoken of but no one knew. He knew, and it hurt so to hear that song again. How his heart ached with the remembrance of his friend, his loved one he cared for so dearly. He could feel tears welling in his eyes as she continued, Kailah turning to face him.   
"_So, on the second celestial evening  
The children of the pebble  
Joined hands and composed a waltz..._"  
She laughed half-heartedly, smiling as her eyes turned from those large, joyful ones to the older, sadder ones. "She sang that didn't she? I know I have the tune all wrong, but I can never mimic anything very good."

"She's the one...you spoke of before...isn't it?" he asked, his throat tightening.

"Yes, it is...I know it pains you to hear it, but she said you forgot the words and needed to remember."

"You're Uncle Vargus, he tells me he never left the house last night," he said, changing the subject before it became too deep for him to handle. Even though he should've been able to talk about it, the memories of what happened just flooded him with a sense that he would break down in tears because of it, and that was just something he shouldn't do at that minute. "For some reason something tells me you know about that...And that he really hadn't been down there."

She sighed, nodding her head. "Yes, I know."

"It was you, wasn't it?" he implied. He could never prove it, but last night he had gotten the feeling that it was her presence around and not Vargus's. At first he had thought she had been lingering out somewhere, following them, but that hadn't been the case at all.

Kailah grinned, shrugging. "You know people too well, Vash. No, it hadn't been my uncle. It had been me all along. You had the suspicion on why you hadn't heard the door open, and the reason was no one had been there in the first place. I fabricated the image of my uncle to make you think it was him, so he would tell you the truth instead of myself. Plants can be such a glorious thing, but because of it I myself was to embarrassed to tell you..."

"Why?" he asked.

"Who would you rather believe: a child who could make up stories or a respectable adult? No matter how honest either are, one just seems...more authentic. That's what all people are like."

"Actually," he began with a smile. "I'd believe a child more than an adult. See, an adult can lie freely for no real reason at all, but a child only lies when its trying to hide something. Otherwise, it has no reason too."

She gazed on, her eyes narrowing as they began to hurt with her own tears. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"I don't have a choice," he proclaimed, walking over to her and putting a hand on her head. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt. I've already caused enough trouble as it is!"

Clenching her fists, she sniffled, keeping her crying from being revealed. But a moment later, as he gave a big grin in reassurance, she shook her head, looking up at him with the most painful expression.

"No, Vash, don't go!" she cried.

_'No, Rem! Don't go!'_

Vash winced, the last, most hurtful memory he had striking him. She had said it almost in the exact way he had so long ago, the same look of concern written on her face. He had only been there for a week, and yet this girl cared about him just as much as he had for the woman who spoke to her. Maybe it was because Kailah knew everything that had ever happened to him, connecting it with the kindness and happiness he had shown before. Whatever it was, though, it would still be hard to go on such circumstances.

He kneeled down, Kailah wrapping her arms about his shoulders before he could say anything more. Hugging her back, he gently pried her away, patting her on the side of her face. He told her to be good and to take care of her family before he stood up again, walking past her. Nothing more was said as he did not look back...

But a voice came from far away, making him stop to listen once more.

"Vash!" Vera called out, running off the wooden porch and out to him, standing next to the melancholy Kailah. Twisting back, the first smile he had seen from her peeled across her lips, taking Kailah's hand. "I just wanted to say thank you...for everything."

"No problem, ma'am. Just trying to do my best to help the world," he replied.

A silence stirred eerily, the wind kicking up with the sand. As he turned to leave for the very last time, a voice called out, but it sounded as if...it were in his _mind_. It was not the voice of Vera or even Kailah, but of someone else. Someone he once knew long ago.

'_If you leave...Everyone will die..._'

He looked back to Kailah, eyeing her suspiciously. If she could conjure up and create the image of another person, she could probably talk through her mind. But she narrowed her eyes, seeming like she heard this voice as well and questioned it.

"Are you doing this?" he asked to Kailah.

"In all honesty, no, I'm not..."

"Then...Who...?"

'_Vash! You can't leave...not yet..._'

He knew that voice. It was so clear to him, he couldn't mistaken it for anyone else. Kailah gawked up at him, her eyes still as slits.

"You are like me, so you can hear it too..." she said, Vera appearing lost at this point.

Vash went back, nodding his head. "It seems I'm going to have to stay. Just one more day."

"But, you'll be killed!" Vera exclaimed, Vash walked passed them and to the house again.

"If I don't, then everyone else will," he replied, sitting on the porch and scanning the area, planning his tactics for the fight that would come with the rising sun...

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A/N I apologize for my lateness on this. If any of you have ever played a school sport, like swimming or basketball or football, you know how tough it is to actually find time from that nagging tiredness. Well, there's only one chapter left, so stay tuned! ^_^


	5. Life

Life

The sun scorched the earth that day, their shadows eclipsed by the high noon light. Vash stood out in the middle of the road, waiting as the gunmen from the other day came rolling into town. The rest of the town stayed indoors, gazing out whatever small nook or cranny they could find to witness the battle that was about to take place. He had his orange tinted shades on, covering his eyes from the unforgiving sky. Kailah had tried to tell him something from before, but his attention was diverted to something else, something that, at the time, appeared to be more important.

Those gunmen came strolling in with enough ego that could've filled the covered cart being wheeled behind them. There were only four now from the fiver earlier, but he just assumed one of them chickened out. One of them usually did in these types of situations. Surprisingly, though, it was the leader who had set up this whole ordeal.

Another, however, stopped them with holding out a hand. They armed their weapons, holding them up as he spoke.

"You wanna die, boy?" he shouted from the fifty feet distance. "We told you to be outta town!"

"Please, I don't want to fight you," he proclaimed, but they would have none of it.

"Too late for that, kid. You better've prayed, cuz it's time to go!"

And with it, the first barrage of shots were fired.

The dust kicked up like a storm, time seeming like it stood still as the cloud hovered there for a few breathtaking moments. But, like the miracle it was, Vash stood there, not phased one bit by the ruckus. The four of them yelled on why it had not worked, one of them staring in horror that Vash could actually be the Humanoid Typhoon, and ran for his life.

Vash did not hesitate to take this opportunity to strike, and as if in the blink of an eye took them all out. (Well, not precisely 'take them out', but rather kept them from shooting). He shot two in left and right legs, and one in the right shoulder. This, in there opinion, was just not worth getting killed for, and bolted just like the other man.

Opening the casing to his gun, he saw he had used up all the bullets he had left, taking a sigh of relief they had left. With several long minutes of waiting, the townspeople emerged from their homes, smiling and greeting him on what an excellent job he had done chasing them out of town. (The strange thing was that they had left their cart there, but they were idiots anyway for challenging someone they didn't even know!)

Children came up to him and asked if he could teach them how to shoot like that, but he only grinned jokingly. Even Vera, Vargus, and Murielle came out to thank him, but there was one person missing. Vash, still speaking to the children about, looked in the corner of his eye to find that Kailah was standing there, gazing on with cold, emotionless eyes. He questioned what could be the matter with her because those bad guys were gone, but as he turned his eyes away, he soon knew the one flaw he made.

Never assume anything.

Defenseless, surprised, and with his back turned, he failed to see the sniper rifle from out of the cart. He didn't even hear it load in all the commotion, yet somehow...

A shot rang so close, Vash could've sworn it had been him who had been hit. He turned around quickly, his eyes widening in horror. The leader gunman who had concealed himself before jumped from out of the cover, gloating before he saw what really happened.

"Yeah! I got you, Vash the Stam..." he stopped his own words, a drifting pain of silence filling there air, all but the terrified gurgle of the little girl who had gotten in the way.

Parents rushed to take their children away, crying with tears of solemn respect that it had not been them. Kailah, the little girl who had saved Vash from his untimely death, fell back and into his arms, staring up at him as if in relief where his eyes only sought dismay. Her family came to her side within an instant, Vash handing her over to Vera. The man with the rifle, disgusted in his own doing, could not live with the fact that he had shot a kid, a said it in proof.

"I...I shot...I shot a k-kid...How could I...? This...I..." He put the gun to his head. "I don't deserve to live for this."

Vash, seeing his action, reached out a hand as if he could stop him. But as he shouted for him to stop, the man pulled the trigger, just another dead body soaking the dry earth. He tore open in side, everything that he had ever been told that was wrong being dragged out in just a few moments. But his cold sorrow was melted away to just a greater sadness as a little hand reached up and touched the side of his face.

"I...I did good..." she smiled, her eyes giving the childish glow. "I can be with mommy and daddy again...Uncle Joe..."

No one said anything. Though no one wanted her to go, her words were filled with a truth. She continued to smile as blood began to run on the side of her mouth, still keeping her hand on his cheek.

"She...she says she's proud of you, Vash..." Kailah's eyes shut as she said her last, heartfelt words. "And Rem says...to never give up hope..."

With that, her consciousness faded, and she was with them no more. People cried. People remained stunned in shock. Vash, with tears in his eyes, tried to keep the screaming in his head under his skin, looking up to find that the three of them were still. Murielle cried her eyes out, Vargus taking her away from the sight as Vera remained. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he shook his head, saying he was ever so sorry. But she somehow managed to laugh, gazing back to him with tears rolling down her face.

"You have no reason to be sorry. You are a God sent, Vash the Stampede. Do you know how long this child's lived with so much pain, so much regret over the death of her parents? For so long she thought her life was worthless, all until you came. If she would've died any other way I think I wouldn't be able to live with myself for it, but to hear those words...To hear that she thought she did something good for a change...You don't know how much that means to us...I wasn't right that she had to die to think it, but then again, she's in a much better place than this world. She's with God now, with Joe, her parents and...and your Rem..." She stood up with Kailah in her arms. "We would be happy if you'd come to the funeral."

He nodded, but still wasn't sure if he'd be offending them, even if she said it was alright.

They buried her the next day. It was a lovely afternoon, under the clear blue sky with a light breeze and nice temperatures. Vash could remember all the moments he had had in this town, all the memories he would have for the remainder of his own life. He was glad in a way he could make even one person's life better, but questioned why she had to go. It was all for the better, for Heaven was paradise from this place. And yet, they would miss her still.

Life was such a confusing thing. Between the living and the dead, between Heaven and this desolate rock, he was just one guy trying to get through it all, like everyone else. Of course, he as a hundred and twenty eight more years tacked on than anyone else, but that wasn't the point. The lesson learned was that living this world would be painful, but you had to pull through if you ever wanted to see those lost again.

And thus, that was the life of Vash the Stampede...

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A/N well that's it. Dang...that was more depression than I thought it would be. Oh well. Anyway, I have a question for you. I have another story out, and I was wondering...What would you say to Wolfwood coming back. I know, TOTALLY off subject, but just thought I might ask. ^_^


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